Want an electric bike, but the Brammo Enertia is too modern for you? Check out Hammarhead Industries Volta 102!

Based on a classic, James Hammarhead takes a Indian-made 2002-2009 Royal Enfield Bullet, and creates his Volta 102 using a 102 Volt LIFEPO4 pack 6KW battery mounted in the frame to power an EnerTrac MHM-602 motor, engineered and manufactured by EnerTrac Corp., in the rear hub.

Construction takes about 90 days and will cost you a whopping US$18,500 though!

More at the Hammarhead website.

Royal Enfield motorcycles have been in continuous production for over 100 years, making them the longest running motorcycle brand in the world, and their success story continues with the introduction of a brand new engine for 2009.

Based on the popular and well proven Electra, now with the all new unit construction fuel-injected engine, the Electra EFI looks and sounds like a classic British single, but with a significant performance boost, excellent fuel economy and significantly reduced exhaust emissions.

· 280mm front disc brake for reliable stopping power
· Gas filled rear shocks for a smooth ride
· Electric and kick-start options
· Halogen headlight for a clearer view

Available in red, black, blue and silver.

DATA SHEET
Engine- Single Cylinder 4-Stroke,
Capacity- 499cc
Maximum- Torque 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm
Power- 20.3KW, 28bhp @ 5250 rpm
Ignition system- Electronic
Fuel Feed- Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Transmission- 5- speed gearbox with left hand gear change
Starting- Kick & Electric Start
Petrol Tank Capacity- 14.5 litres
Fuel Consumption- 79.6 mpg (Under Euro III test conditions)
Clutch- 7 plate wet clutch
Braking System- Front – 280mm Disc. Rear – 152mm Drum
Suspension- Telescopic front forks, Gas filled rear shocks
Dimensions- Length – 2160mm Width – 800mm Height – 1050mm
Wheel Base- 1370mm
Ground Clearance- 140mm
Weight- 187kg
Tyres Front – 90 x 90 – 19” Rear – 100 x 90 – 19”
Electrics- 12V System
Fuel- Unleaded Petrol

Now if only they could build an Egli Super Bullet version. Royal Enfield, are you listening?

バイカーブードゥー

After decades of basically building the same old bike, Royal Enfield has come up with a new model. The main drive to build it probably came from its desire to penetrate the European market, where Euro III is now a requirement for motorcycles.

This new Bullet has Royal Enfield’s new 500cc ‘Unit Construction Engine’ (UCE), homologated for Euro III norms. Power output is about 27.2 bhp at 5250rpm and 41.3Nm of torque at 4000rpm. This new model is expected to be in the Europe Distributors showrooms by January 2009 and should be launched in India by end 2009.

If only they could hotrod this new UCE powertrain and build a Cafe Racer like the Egli Super Bullet 624cc BikerVoodoo reported on earlier. No need to crack their heads trying to do something different, just look at Harley-Davidson’s XR1200, Triumph’s Bonneville, Kawasaki’s W650, etc. and take the same route.

Click
continue reading "NEW ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET 500CC UNIT CONSTRUCTION ENGINE"

Here are images for Royal Enfield‘s ‘Trip‘ ad campaign in India. The images look very ‘American’ and the copy gives some ‘Bullet Points’ of the owner/rider’s profile with the tagline ‘Tripping Ever Since’. The ads were produced by Weiden+Kennedy (W+K)’s Delhi office.

Seen here is adventurer/bike builder Paul Smith. Notice that his bike has a rear disc brake! No, he’s not THAT Paul Smith … the one they made a few Triumph Bonnevilles with. Apparently there are lots of them around. More ads for the iconic Bullet below.

continue reading "ROYAL ENFIELD’S ‘TRIP’ AD CAMPAIGN"

Ever wanted to get away from it all, see things which no one you know has ever had the chance to see? Consider Enduro Himalaya. The Himalayas are not for the faint hearted the mountains sheer magnitude is a test in itself, add to that the unpredictable weather, the constant risk of landslides, sudden border closures and route changes … it sort of sounds like Camel Trophy, but for bikes, doesn’t it? Instead of Land Rovers, the vehicles of choice here are Royal Enfield Bullets.

Each night participants rest in strange, yet wonderful locations, including 1000 year old monasteries, strange ancient temples and wild isolated mountain wilderness. The group rides as high as a snow leopards and tread as carefully as mice as they take on treacherous tunnels way up in the mountains and wind their way through the pristine and remote ranges of the Tibet / India border.

Organised by Simon Smith, Enduro Himalaya draws on a team of over 30 riders including medics, mechanics, guides and communications experts. The price to take part in Enduro Himalaya is £3,450. For this fee participants will receive everything apart from petrol, lunch, kit and drinks in the evening. All other costs are met including flights, bikes, medics, mechanics, team leaders and support crew. Accommodation including breakfast and dinner are also included. Visa and travel insurance are not included in this fee. Expect to spend at least 17 days on this adventure with trips available in June, August, September and October 2009. The bikes used look like stock Royal Enfield Bullet 500s, with front disc brakes, crash bars and rear carrier racks.

I liked their slogan – “We take these risks not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us”. Check out their website and in particular the gallery which has a very nice soundtrack.

バイカーブードゥー

Behind each motorcycle is a philosophy, and Fritz W. Egli delivers them free. “Do you remember the good old days,” he writes in his prospectus “as motorcycles still made from steel and aluminium were built, not from colourful plastic”. His sideswipe at more recent offerings from Japan, China, et cetera are not new. However the Japanese reliability and performance image is what Egli was aiming for in his Egli Super Bullet 624cc, and the Swiss tuner has largely succeeded, albeit at huge costs and with great efforts.

For Egli, the Swiss Royal Enfield importer, a simple Bullet 500cc engine designed about 60 years ago was a desirable base on which to work his magic. Egli dismantles Bullets delivered from India and upgrades them with many improvements and new parts. Although greatly appreciated, this was simply not enough for one customer, who brought Egli the idea of building a Bullet-based light single cylinder sports motorcycle. Of course, the basis for this bike would be Egli’s famous central tube frame constructed from nickel-plated chromium-molybdenum steel, the hallmark of Egli’s motorcycle tuning efforts.

Egli’s trademark oil-in-spine frame form the basis of the Egli Super Bullet, along with a matching aluminium fuel tank

The engine could of course, no longer be stock as it usually is. An aluminium cylinder, US-sourced piston, larger valves in a redesigned cylinder head, longer stroke crankshaft (105mm), special main bearings, dry clutch, timing belt primary drive, 36mm Keihin flat-slide carburettors were added among other tricks (Egli’s option list for Bullet specials span 29 pages!). The output is 40PS from a 624cc engine fed via an electric pump from a classic-looking aluminium tank. The original 500cc puts out only 22PS.

Metzeler ME Z1 tyres wrap around 18-inch alloy wheels, attached to an Egli fork up front, and damped with Koni dampers at the rear. The front disc brake is equipped with a Spiegler 8-piston caliper, stopping the Super Bullet which has a total weight of 139kg. The Egli Super Bullet can easily attain 160 km/h.

The dashboard consists of a VDO oil temperature gauge, and a classic 80s-style Krober tachometer. Exclusivity is guaranteed as only two examples have been built thus far, at an outlandish price of RM125,000 (Euros 25,100 / US$39,200)! As exorbitant as it may seem, we must appreciate the efforts of Egli as the motorcycle scene would be much poorer without him and people like Dan Holmes and his DRS Cycles Bullet Racer.

I strongly believe Royal Enfield should build a series-production Egli Super Bullet for enthusiasts around the world. Mass production could make the Super Bullet more affordable and I’m sure Royal Enfield dealers in North America, Europe and elsewhere would love to sell Super Bullets in their showrooms. If you share my humble opinion, please record your thoughts in the ‘comments’ section by clicking the comment button below. Thank you!

PICS/INFO: EGLI RACING

バイカーブードゥー

Ever since I posted on the Coskata ethanol production method and how it could lead to a new generation of E85 powered bikes, and the military diesel Kawasakis (M1030M1s at the USMC Combat Motorcycle School), I’ve been thinking of alternative fuels for motorcycles. This morning I googled “BioDiesel Motorcycle” and found this really cool article at Kneeslider. Apparently it’s a bike built by Colorado Biodiesel© and MotorEarth© to promote diesel use and was then auctioned on Ebay. Paul Crowe at Kneeslider reported on this amazing bike.

Paul later followed up with an article on Royal Enfield Bullet biodiesel conversion by Charles Altmann. Altmann Machines in Germany takes the original Royal Enfield Bullet engine out and replaces it with a Yanmar 406cc, single cylinder, direct injection diesel engine.

So with fears of oil becoming scarce, more and more people are saying they would downgrade to smaller cars. Perhaps one day as fuel prices go higher and higher they may even downgrade to two-wheelers. The next step? Alternative fuel bikes. They’re already here.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

Recently I wrote a short article on the DRS Cycle Royal Enfield Bullet race bike and it received a lot of good comments. Phil Myers, who built the bike replied to my mail to him with some questions on the bike build. Here’s some brief information about what went into building the bike. I shall add more pictures should they become available so remember to check back here every once in a while.

The list of special parts that have been custom built and machined for the DRS Cycle Royal Enfield Bullet racer would fill volumes.

- Alloy Tank from Classic Motorworks
- Rearset from Classic Motorworks
- Clip-ons from Pro-Flow
- Misc. bits from Hitchcocks, UK
- Engine internals custom machined from billet steel and titanium, with over 500 hours invested in designing and developing the piston, head and valve train
- Piston is a custom made from an Australian forged slug with various coatings added to control heat transfer and distortion
- Piston rings from Deves
- Engine mounts and most fasteners are titanium
- Frame is from a 1996 Royal Enfield Bullet, stripped and strengthened by welding on, in a jig, gussets and overlays
- Swingarm has solid bronze bushings and rear hub is custom machined from billet aluminium to accept sprockets to change gearing
- Transmission is a 1954 vintage housing with Hitchcocks close ratio gearset, custom machined shafts and bearing supports
- Clutch and belt drive primary from Hitchcocks
- Front brake is a highly modified Honda CL350 with Frendo linings
- Titanium axles front and rear
- Custom alloy triple clamp
- Estimated value of US$10,000 in parts alone

“All this “madness” was a terrific exercise for a couple of guys with way too much time and resources available and an extreme distaste for losing. What started out as a 12 to 16 HP novelty now power wheelies shifting into second gear! And so most all the bits to make it look the part are readily available but 48 HP and 260 lbs. is up to you.” – Best of luck, Phil.

When I told him that I considered this the “World’s Most Exotic Royal Enfield Bullet“, Phil replied, “You know until you mentioned it, I never really considered it “the Worlds Most Exotic Enfield” but it most likely is. It seems that there aren’t that many nut-jobs out there like us. You know we could’ve spent less time, money and effort and just built a BSA Gold Star B34 but where’s the challenge??? Like I said, we looked at about 14 rear wheel horse power (on average) from a new stock bike and we just felt compelled to improve on it…We just got carried away a wee bit. The stock Royal Enfield engine has real lousy architecture and poor heat control when you pump them up so we were forced into some serious “reconfiguring” to even begin to make proper power per cc’s. I had a b’jillian dollars worth of CNC equipment and exotic metals at my disposal so I just dug in and started replacing all the nasty bits. You know how people like to throw around words like “balanced” and “blueprinted” but most likely don’t have a clue what it really means…Well we worked on the valve geometry and reciprocating mass and optimized the whole package. We also had a chassis dyno to measure our gains and losses and I can’t say enough about how much of an advantage that is! And so we learned a great deal about where the most net power gain was coming from and attention to detail made it stay together and finish races. You just can’t ignore the fundamentals. So goes the story…Always Racing!”

バイカーブードゥー

In late summer of 2001, DRS Cycle‘s Dan Holmes of Goshen, Indiana teamed up with Phil Meyers, the tuner of the Royal Enfield Bullet racer seen here, to build a 1960s Classic class racer. Dan Holmes is the owner of the Royal Enfield dealership, DRS Cycle.

The DRS Royal Enfield Bullet is a 1996 Indian manufactured Royal Enfield Bullet. It is equipped with an alloy cylinder with stock bore size and a J&E hi-compression forged piston which gives a compression ratio of 12 to 1. A billet Hitchcock crank and connecting rod assembly has been fitted, along with a thoroughly ported Indian Royal Enfield head with big valves.

Carburettion is via a 1.5-inch Amal GP carb metering 2% oxygenated VP fuel into the engine. Akront style alloy rims front and rear, 19″ respectively and sport Avon vintage racing tyres. The rear shocks are Ohlins vintage roadrace items and the forks are stock with Hitchcock’s softer springs and modified valving. Billet alloy triple clamps that allow the front to be lowered as needed. The rear hub has been replicated in alloy to allow sprocket changes with keyed overlays. The bike has been dynoed and pumps out 47 to 48 horsepower at 6,800 rpm.

Team DRS Cycle‘s tuner is Phil Myers. The DRS Royal Enfield Bullet racer is owned by Dan Holmes and ridden by Johnny Szoldrak. Phil Meyers is an old friend of Dan Holmes, and refers to himself as “just an old racing mechanic/machinist who thoroughly enjoys participating”

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

No, it’s not Italian. Vardenchi in the Indian language Marathi means “Varde’s“. Akshai Varde, a former flight attendant who spent his teens riding a Yamaha RD350 decided to customise his own 1977 Royal Enfield Bullet. Soon he was being stopped on the streets of Delhi, being asked by other bikers where they could get their own custom choppers. After completing another chopper for a friend, Akshai Varde decided to set up his own workshop. Equipped with only basic tools, a drill and a grinder, Akshai Varde along with his assistant Hassan would work on customers Royal Enfield Bullets.

Now, with an 8-man ‘brotherhood’ (as he calls his team) including Creative Designer Sandeep Padol, Engine Technician Mukesh Maurya and Metal Fabricator Mehboob, Akshai Varde runs a fully equipped Vardenchi Motorcycles shop, with a lathe, metal fabrication tools and even an in-house paint booth.

Vardenchi Motorcycles takes in customers Royal Enfield Bullets, and converts them into choppers according to the customers desires. First, the customer specifies their requirements, and Vardenchi trashes out the details. Once the customer approves a design, the Vardenchi team then gets down to metalwork. The customer comes in once for a trial fit and changes can be included up to this stage. Once everything is set, the bike is completed.

Vardenchi Motorcycles have produced over 30 custom bikes to date, almost all of them Royal Enfield Bullets. They can do almost anything, from RM1000 cosmetic jobs like painting on flames, names or even stickers to RM25,000 conversions including belt drive rear conversions with 350mm rear tyres. Vardenchi are now looking to export their custom bikes.

PHOTOS: Jeevan Balwant
VIDEOS: Nautanki.tv

バイカーブードゥー

Want an electric bike, but the Brammo Enertia is too modern for you? Check out Hammarhead Industries Volta 102!

Based on a classic, James Hammarhead takes a Indian-made 2002-2009 Royal Enfield Bullet, and creates his Volta 102 using a 102 Volt LIFEPO4 pack 6KW battery mounted in the frame to power an EnerTrac MHM-602 motor, engineered and manufactured by EnerTrac Corp., in the rear hub.

Construction takes about 90 days and will cost you a whopping US$18,500 though!

More at the Hammarhead website.

Royal Enfield motorcycles have been in continuous production for over 100 years, making them the longest running motorcycle brand in the world, and their success story continues with the introduction of a brand new engine for 2009.

Based on the popular and well proven Electra, now with the all new unit construction fuel-injected engine, the Electra EFI looks and sounds like a classic British single, but with a significant performance boost, excellent fuel economy and significantly reduced exhaust emissions.

· 280mm front disc brake for reliable stopping power
· Gas filled rear shocks for a smooth ride
· Electric and kick-start options
· Halogen headlight for a clearer view

Available in red, black, blue and silver.

DATA SHEET
Engine- Single Cylinder 4-Stroke,
Capacity- 499cc
Maximum- Torque 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm
Power- 20.3KW, 28bhp @ 5250 rpm
Ignition system- Electronic
Fuel Feed- Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Transmission- 5- speed gearbox with left hand gear change
Starting- Kick & Electric Start
Petrol Tank Capacity- 14.5 litres
Fuel Consumption- 79.6 mpg (Under Euro III test conditions)
Clutch- 7 plate wet clutch
Braking System- Front – 280mm Disc. Rear – 152mm Drum
Suspension- Telescopic front forks, Gas filled rear shocks
Dimensions- Length – 2160mm Width – 800mm Height – 1050mm
Wheel Base- 1370mm
Ground Clearance- 140mm
Weight- 187kg
Tyres Front – 90 x 90 – 19” Rear – 100 x 90 – 19”
Electrics- 12V System
Fuel- Unleaded Petrol

Now if only they could build an Egli Super Bullet version. Royal Enfield, are you listening?

バイカーブードゥー

After decades of basically building the same old bike, Royal Enfield has come up with a new model. The main drive to build it probably came from its desire to penetrate the European market, where Euro III is now a requirement for motorcycles.

This new Bullet has Royal Enfield’s new 500cc ‘Unit Construction Engine’ (UCE), homologated for Euro III norms. Power output is about 27.2 bhp at 5250rpm and 41.3Nm of torque at 4000rpm. This new model is expected to be in the Europe Distributors showrooms by January 2009 and should be launched in India by end 2009.

If only they could hotrod this new UCE powertrain and build a Cafe Racer like the Egli Super Bullet 624cc BikerVoodoo reported on earlier. No need to crack their heads trying to do something different, just look at Harley-Davidson’s XR1200, Triumph’s Bonneville, Kawasaki’s W650, etc. and take the same route.

Click
continue reading "NEW ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET 500CC UNIT CONSTRUCTION ENGINE"

Here are images for Royal Enfield‘s ‘Trip‘ ad campaign in India. The images look very ‘American’ and the copy gives some ‘Bullet Points’ of the owner/rider’s profile with the tagline ‘Tripping Ever Since’. The ads were produced by Weiden+Kennedy (W+K)’s Delhi office.

Seen here is adventurer/bike builder Paul Smith. Notice that his bike has a rear disc brake! No, he’s not THAT Paul Smith … the one they made a few Triumph Bonnevilles with. Apparently there are lots of them around. More ads for the iconic Bullet below.

continue reading "ROYAL ENFIELD’S ‘TRIP’ AD CAMPAIGN"

Ever wanted to get away from it all, see things which no one you know has ever had the chance to see? Consider Enduro Himalaya. The Himalayas are not for the faint hearted the mountains sheer magnitude is a test in itself, add to that the unpredictable weather, the constant risk of landslides, sudden border closures and route changes … it sort of sounds like Camel Trophy, but for bikes, doesn’t it? Instead of Land Rovers, the vehicles of choice here are Royal Enfield Bullets.

Each night participants rest in strange, yet wonderful locations, including 1000 year old monasteries, strange ancient temples and wild isolated mountain wilderness. The group rides as high as a snow leopards and tread as carefully as mice as they take on treacherous tunnels way up in the mountains and wind their way through the pristine and remote ranges of the Tibet / India border.

Organised by Simon Smith, Enduro Himalaya draws on a team of over 30 riders including medics, mechanics, guides and communications experts. The price to take part in Enduro Himalaya is £3,450. For this fee participants will receive everything apart from petrol, lunch, kit and drinks in the evening. All other costs are met including flights, bikes, medics, mechanics, team leaders and support crew. Accommodation including breakfast and dinner are also included. Visa and travel insurance are not included in this fee. Expect to spend at least 17 days on this adventure with trips available in June, August, September and October 2009. The bikes used look like stock Royal Enfield Bullet 500s, with front disc brakes, crash bars and rear carrier racks.

I liked their slogan – “We take these risks not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us”. Check out their website and in particular the gallery which has a very nice soundtrack.

バイカーブードゥー

Behind each motorcycle is a philosophy, and Fritz W. Egli delivers them free. “Do you remember the good old days,” he writes in his prospectus “as motorcycles still made from steel and aluminium were built, not from colourful plastic”. His sideswipe at more recent offerings from Japan, China, et cetera are not new. However the Japanese reliability and performance image is what Egli was aiming for in his Egli Super Bullet 624cc, and the Swiss tuner has largely succeeded, albeit at huge costs and with great efforts.

For Egli, the Swiss Royal Enfield importer, a simple Bullet 500cc engine designed about 60 years ago was a desirable base on which to work his magic. Egli dismantles Bullets delivered from India and upgrades them with many improvements and new parts. Although greatly appreciated, this was simply not enough for one customer, who brought Egli the idea of building a Bullet-based light single cylinder sports motorcycle. Of course, the basis for this bike would be Egli’s famous central tube frame constructed from nickel-plated chromium-molybdenum steel, the hallmark of Egli’s motorcycle tuning efforts.

Egli’s trademark oil-in-spine frame form the basis of the Egli Super Bullet, along with a matching aluminium fuel tank

The engine could of course, no longer be stock as it usually is. An aluminium cylinder, US-sourced piston, larger valves in a redesigned cylinder head, longer stroke crankshaft (105mm), special main bearings, dry clutch, timing belt primary drive, 36mm Keihin flat-slide carburettors were added among other tricks (Egli’s option list for Bullet specials span 29 pages!). The output is 40PS from a 624cc engine fed via an electric pump from a classic-looking aluminium tank. The original 500cc puts out only 22PS.

Metzeler ME Z1 tyres wrap around 18-inch alloy wheels, attached to an Egli fork up front, and damped with Koni dampers at the rear. The front disc brake is equipped with a Spiegler 8-piston caliper, stopping the Super Bullet which has a total weight of 139kg. The Egli Super Bullet can easily attain 160 km/h.

The dashboard consists of a VDO oil temperature gauge, and a classic 80s-style Krober tachometer. Exclusivity is guaranteed as only two examples have been built thus far, at an outlandish price of RM125,000 (Euros 25,100 / US$39,200)! As exorbitant as it may seem, we must appreciate the efforts of Egli as the motorcycle scene would be much poorer without him and people like Dan Holmes and his DRS Cycles Bullet Racer.

I strongly believe Royal Enfield should build a series-production Egli Super Bullet for enthusiasts around the world. Mass production could make the Super Bullet more affordable and I’m sure Royal Enfield dealers in North America, Europe and elsewhere would love to sell Super Bullets in their showrooms. If you share my humble opinion, please record your thoughts in the ‘comments’ section by clicking the comment button below. Thank you!

PICS/INFO: EGLI RACING

バイカーブードゥー

Ever since I posted on the Coskata ethanol production method and how it could lead to a new generation of E85 powered bikes, and the military diesel Kawasakis (M1030M1s at the USMC Combat Motorcycle School), I’ve been thinking of alternative fuels for motorcycles. This morning I googled “BioDiesel Motorcycle” and found this really cool article at Kneeslider. Apparently it’s a bike built by Colorado Biodiesel© and MotorEarth© to promote diesel use and was then auctioned on Ebay. Paul Crowe at Kneeslider reported on this amazing bike.

Paul later followed up with an article on Royal Enfield Bullet biodiesel conversion by Charles Altmann. Altmann Machines in Germany takes the original Royal Enfield Bullet engine out and replaces it with a Yanmar 406cc, single cylinder, direct injection diesel engine.

So with fears of oil becoming scarce, more and more people are saying they would downgrade to smaller cars. Perhaps one day as fuel prices go higher and higher they may even downgrade to two-wheelers. The next step? Alternative fuel bikes. They’re already here.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

Recently I wrote a short article on the DRS Cycle Royal Enfield Bullet race bike and it received a lot of good comments. Phil Myers, who built the bike replied to my mail to him with some questions on the bike build. Here’s some brief information about what went into building the bike. I shall add more pictures should they become available so remember to check back here every once in a while.

The list of special parts that have been custom built and machined for the DRS Cycle Royal Enfield Bullet racer would fill volumes.

- Alloy Tank from Classic Motorworks
- Rearset from Classic Motorworks
- Clip-ons from Pro-Flow
- Misc. bits from Hitchcocks, UK
- Engine internals custom machined from billet steel and titanium, with over 500 hours invested in designing and developing the piston, head and valve train
- Piston is a custom made from an Australian forged slug with various coatings added to control heat transfer and distortion
- Piston rings from Deves
- Engine mounts and most fasteners are titanium
- Frame is from a 1996 Royal Enfield Bullet, stripped and strengthened by welding on, in a jig, gussets and overlays
- Swingarm has solid bronze bushings and rear hub is custom machined from billet aluminium to accept sprockets to change gearing
- Transmission is a 1954 vintage housing with Hitchcocks close ratio gearset, custom machined shafts and bearing supports
- Clutch and belt drive primary from Hitchcocks
- Front brake is a highly modified Honda CL350 with Frendo linings
- Titanium axles front and rear
- Custom alloy triple clamp
- Estimated value of US$10,000 in parts alone

“All this “madness” was a terrific exercise for a couple of guys with way too much time and resources available and an extreme distaste for losing. What started out as a 12 to 16 HP novelty now power wheelies shifting into second gear! And so most all the bits to make it look the part are readily available but 48 HP and 260 lbs. is up to you.” – Best of luck, Phil.

When I told him that I considered this the “World’s Most Exotic Royal Enfield Bullet“, Phil replied, “You know until you mentioned it, I never really considered it “the Worlds Most Exotic Enfield” but it most likely is. It seems that there aren’t that many nut-jobs out there like us. You know we could’ve spent less time, money and effort and just built a BSA Gold Star B34 but where’s the challenge??? Like I said, we looked at about 14 rear wheel horse power (on average) from a new stock bike and we just felt compelled to improve on it…We just got carried away a wee bit. The stock Royal Enfield engine has real lousy architecture and poor heat control when you pump them up so we were forced into some serious “reconfiguring” to even begin to make proper power per cc’s. I had a b’jillian dollars worth of CNC equipment and exotic metals at my disposal so I just dug in and started replacing all the nasty bits. You know how people like to throw around words like “balanced” and “blueprinted” but most likely don’t have a clue what it really means…Well we worked on the valve geometry and reciprocating mass and optimized the whole package. We also had a chassis dyno to measure our gains and losses and I can’t say enough about how much of an advantage that is! And so we learned a great deal about where the most net power gain was coming from and attention to detail made it stay together and finish races. You just can’t ignore the fundamentals. So goes the story…Always Racing!”

バイカーブードゥー

In late summer of 2001, DRS Cycle‘s Dan Holmes of Goshen, Indiana teamed up with Phil Meyers, the tuner of the Royal Enfield Bullet racer seen here, to build a 1960s Classic class racer. Dan Holmes is the owner of the Royal Enfield dealership, DRS Cycle.

The DRS Royal Enfield Bullet is a 1996 Indian manufactured Royal Enfield Bullet. It is equipped with an alloy cylinder with stock bore size and a J&E hi-compression forged piston which gives a compression ratio of 12 to 1. A billet Hitchcock crank and connecting rod assembly has been fitted, along with a thoroughly ported Indian Royal Enfield head with big valves.

Carburettion is via a 1.5-inch Amal GP carb metering 2% oxygenated VP fuel into the engine. Akront style alloy rims front and rear, 19″ respectively and sport Avon vintage racing tyres. The rear shocks are Ohlins vintage roadrace items and the forks are stock with Hitchcock’s softer springs and modified valving. Billet alloy triple clamps that allow the front to be lowered as needed. The rear hub has been replicated in alloy to allow sprocket changes with keyed overlays. The bike has been dynoed and pumps out 47 to 48 horsepower at 6,800 rpm.

Team DRS Cycle‘s tuner is Phil Myers. The DRS Royal Enfield Bullet racer is owned by Dan Holmes and ridden by Johnny Szoldrak. Phil Meyers is an old friend of Dan Holmes, and refers to himself as “just an old racing mechanic/machinist who thoroughly enjoys participating”

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

No, it’s not Italian. Vardenchi in the Indian language Marathi means “Varde’s“. Akshai Varde, a former flight attendant who spent his teens riding a Yamaha RD350 decided to customise his own 1977 Royal Enfield Bullet. Soon he was being stopped on the streets of Delhi, being asked by other bikers where they could get their own custom choppers. After completing another chopper for a friend, Akshai Varde decided to set up his own workshop. Equipped with only basic tools, a drill and a grinder, Akshai Varde along with his assistant Hassan would work on customers Royal Enfield Bullets.

Now, with an 8-man ‘brotherhood’ (as he calls his team) including Creative Designer Sandeep Padol, Engine Technician Mukesh Maurya and Metal Fabricator Mehboob, Akshai Varde runs a fully equipped Vardenchi Motorcycles shop, with a lathe, metal fabrication tools and even an in-house paint booth.

Vardenchi Motorcycles takes in customers Royal Enfield Bullets, and converts them into choppers according to the customers desires. First, the customer specifies their requirements, and Vardenchi trashes out the details. Once the customer approves a design, the Vardenchi team then gets down to metalwork. The customer comes in once for a trial fit and changes can be included up to this stage. Once everything is set, the bike is completed.

Vardenchi Motorcycles have produced over 30 custom bikes to date, almost all of them Royal Enfield Bullets. They can do almost anything, from RM1000 cosmetic jobs like painting on flames, names or even stickers to RM25,000 conversions including belt drive rear conversions with 350mm rear tyres. Vardenchi are now looking to export their custom bikes.

PHOTOS: Jeevan Balwant
VIDEOS: Nautanki.tv

バイカーブードゥー